Revision notes of Class 9 Political Science Civics Chapter 2-

Constitutional Design
What is a Constitution?

Chapter 2 will highlight the importance of a constitution and the meaning of the constitution. .
There are certain basic rules that a nation’s citizens and government must follow. All such rules
together are known as a constitution. The nation’s supreme law, the constitution, determines the
rights and duties of the citizens, the powers of the government and how the government should
function. This chapter highlights all these aspects and provides a comprehensive idea of a
country’s constitution. No government can ignore or override these supreme laws called the
constitution. It upholds the dignity of every individual and ensures the equality of all citizens.

Moreover, a constitution develops the level of trust and communication between different types
of people. It defines the rules and regulations of how the government will be formed and who
will have the power to make decisions.

Democratic Constitution in South Africa:

White Europeans set racial discrimination in South Africa. During the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, European trading companies settled in and became local administrators. The
apartheid system divided the people of the nation and determined them by the colour of their
skin. White leaders treated all common white people as supreme and were given more rights.
Nonwhites had no right to vote and were restricted from living in white regions. Blacks and
Indians have been fighting against apartheid since 1950. The African National Congress (ANC)
was the umbrella organisation against the apartheid system and policies. Nelson Mandela and
the other eight leaders were accused of sedition by the white government of South Africa. These
eight members were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 on the charge of opposing the
country’s apartheid system.

Struggle against Apartheid

The European companies occupied South Africa, and more and more whites settled in the region
like in India before Independence. However, unlike in India, they became the local leaders and
started making differences between whites and blacks. There were separate and individual
toilets for black and white people living in South Africa. Moreover, blacks were not allowed to
visit churches where white people worshipped and were restricted from forming any political
party or association against apartheid. This was known as segregation. The African National
Congress (ANC), which included blacks, coloured and Indians, opposed the system of apartheid
since the year 1950. Moreover, many people who belonged to the white community also joined
the protest started by ANC to end the apartheid regime. Several countries also criticised the
system as unjust.

As protests against apartheid intensified, whites realised that blacks could no longer be held or
ruled through repression under dictatorship. The white government changed its policies.
Discriminatory laws were repealed. The ban on associations, political parties and media
restrictions was lifted. Moreover, Nelson Mandela was released after 28 years from Robben
Island prison. Furthermore, the apartheid government ended on April 26 at midnight in 1994,
paving the way for a multi-racial government.

After the evolution of a new democratic South Africa, the ruling dictatorship, the genocide, and
the party that fought against apartheid and led the liberation struggle came and sat together to
discuss and form a common constitution which both would accept. This constitution bestows its
citizens the greatest rights available in any country. Together, they decided that no one should be
excluded from pursuing a solution.

Class 9 Political Science Chapter 2 Constitutional Design:

Constitutional design refers to the procedure for the formation of the government. Moreover, it
defines the powers distributed among various sections of the government.

Constitutional Design:

The making of the Indian Constitution was done under difficult circumstances just like in South
Africa. However, most of the values and laws were taken from the constitution formed in 1928 by
Motilal Nehru and in 1931 by the Indian National Congress. Furthermore, most of the institutional
laws and details were drawn from colonial rules such as the Government of India Act 1935. The
act proved to be very useful for the legislative institutions under British rule and that is why the
makers of the Indian Constitution decided to opt-out of some of its rules.
Let’s understand the philosophy and the message given by the Indian Constitution:

● Dream and promise: Various members supported the views of Mahatma Gandhi. India’s
dream of eradicating inequality was further shared by Dr Ambedkar, who played a key
role in drafting the Constitution of India. Still, his idea and vision for eliminating
inequality in India differed from those of Mahatma Gandhi. .

● We the people: The constitution of India was drafted based on the phrase, “We the
people”, which simply means that the common man drafted it via representatives.

● Governor: People have a right to make decisions on the internal and external affairs of the
nation. Moreover, no foreign power can suppress the government.

● Socialist: Wealth is created in society and should be shared equally. Government must
regulate land and industry ownership to decrease social and economic disparities.

● Democratic: A form of government where people have equal political rights and elect
their rulers. The government is governed by certain rules written in the constitution.

● Republic: The elected person is the head of the state.

● Justice: Citizens cannot be discriminated against based on race, religion, or sexual

orientation. Social inequality must be reduced.

● Freedom: There are no restrictions on the people; they have the right to express their
thoughts and pursue their ideas.

● Equality: The government must ensure that all people have equal opportunities as the
constitution recognises the equality of all persons before the law.

Apartheid:

Apartheid is a regime of racial discrimination unique to South Africa imposed by white

Europeans. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the European trading companies
occupied it with arms and force and became the local rulers. The rule of apartheid divided the
people and marked them based on the colour of their skin. The white leaders treated all the
nonwhites, blacks, and Indians as inferiors. The blacks and nonwhites did not have voting rights
and were restricted from living in white regions. The blacks, coloured people, and Indians have
stood against the apartheid system since 1950. The ANC, the umbrella organisation, led the
struggle against segregation policies. The white South African government sentenced to life
Nelson Mandela along with eight other leaders who stood against the apartheid system and
policies. Nelson Mandela and the other eight leaders were accused of sedition by the white
government of South Africa. These eight members were sentenced to life imprisonment in prison
in 1964 on the charge of opposing the country’s apartheid system.

Rise of democratic South Africa:

As the protests by ANC and the struggle of the blacks against apartheid increased, the whites
realised that the blacks could no longer be kept under the government’s rule through repression.
The white regime transformed its policies in favour of blacks. Discriminatory laws and
restrictions were repealed. Ban on associations, political parties and restrictions on the media
were withdrawn. Nelson Mandela was released after 28 years in prison. The apartheid
government ended on April 26 1994, at midnight on April 26 1994, paving the way for forming a
multi-racial government.

Following the evolution of the new democratic South African government, the party that ruled
with oppression and brutal killings of people and the party that led the struggle for freedom
against apartheid sat together to draw up a common constitution. This constitution gave its
citizens the much-needed rights available in any country. Together, they decided that nobody
should be excluded in the search for a solution to the existing problems.

Need for constitution:

Let’s take South Africa’s example to determine why we need the constitution and how the South
Africans designed their constitution. The oppressor and oppressed planned to live together as
equals in the new democracy. Each section wanted to safeguard its interests and the
much-needed basic social and economic rights. Through talks and negotiations, both parties
came to a decision and a compromise. The whites accepted the principle that the majority would
rule and that one person has one vote and each vote has equal value. They also accepted the
demand for basic rights of the poor population. The blacks accepted that the majority rule would
not be absolute, and the majority would not impose any harsh restrictions or take away the
property of the minority. The only way to build and maintain trust in such a situation was to
write down some fundamental rules that everyone including the government would abide by
known as a constitution.
Every country has a diverse set or group of people. Across the globe, people have differences of
opinion and interests. The constitution is the actual and supreme law that determines the
relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and the relationship between the
people and the government. What is the role of the constitution:

● First, it builds a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kinds of
people to live together.

● Secondly, it defines how the government will be constituted, and who will have the power
to take which decisions.

● Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of
the citizens are.

● Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

All countries with a constitution need not be necessarily democratic countries. But all countries
that have a democratic government will have constitutions.